I am so hyped for the Team Constructed Pro Tour in 2018! Team events are always so much fun to watch, and a multi-format event is an excellent way to showcase something for everyone. If you want to read more information about the upcoming Pro Tour changes, please check out this link to the official announcement.

We are actually going to see ABU dual lands and iconic cards like The Tabernacle at Pendrell Vale, Force of Will, and Wasteland on camera, deciding the fates of professionals and aspiring pros alike. Tens of thousands of dollars can ride on Delver flips, Life from the Loam locks, and turn-1 Storm kills! Legacy is back, but where did it go?

What is Legacy and Why Should You Care?

Legacy has existed as a format since 2004, and in that 13-year span, a rich history has emerged. Thousands of players have grown fond of the format of Brainstorm, Force of Will, and Wasteland. Legacy has ways to win on turn 1 and ways to punish decks until turn 21. There are decks with 0 lands, 1 land, 16 lands, 24 lands, and 35 lands. Put simply, the format is huge, diverse, and entertaining to both play and watch.

The 25th anniversary Pro Tour should celebrate the years of Magic past. After all, this game has a rich and storied history that both old and new players can enjoy and appreciate. I can think of no better way for competitors to play multiple different formats that represent different eras in Magic’s History.

And guess what? Legacy’s got the goods. Legacy will deliver. Spectators will enjoy it both for its gameplay and the fresh new twist on the status quo. This is what Legacy needs to grow: an audience who can just watch and see the intricacies and nuances the format offers that few others do. I predict that the success of this event will inspire future Team Constructed events at the Pro Tour. Pro Tour coverage, combined with Legacy Grand Prix, Eternal Weekend, Eternal Extravaganza, SCG Opens, Hareruya’s God of Legacy, Bazaar of Moxen, MTGO challenge events, and hundreds of LGSes that support the format and stream it will allow Legacy to stay in the fold.

So why hasn’t Legacy been played on the Pro Tour before? Aside from some Team Worlds coverage from years ago, (which is entertaining to watch for sure) Legacy has never been played on the Pro Tour, nor had a qualifying PTQ or PPTQ season to feed into it. There is so much gameplay between players and thousands of unique interactions wherever you look. Surely this would make for a perfect spectacle to many players on Magic’s largest stage right?

Unfortunately, a big concern with the format is its accessibility. Those who play the format become hooked, and rightfully so. As a result, you don’t often see players who jump into Legacy sell off their collections right away, if at all. Often, you hear people say Standard is the stepping stone into Modern. Well if that’s the case, Modern is the stepping stone into Legacy. The difference is that Legacy doesn’t have the widespread popularity or wealth of events format like Standard or Modern have. Why is that?

Got it—Legacy’s the Unyaro Bee’s Knees. So what’s the catch?

Enter the Reserved List. This list was created many years ago as a promise to players to never reprint certain cards. The reason was to restore consumer confidence (which had been recently shaken with the release of Chronicles’ massive reprints).The cards on this list, printed from Alpha to Urza’s Destiny, have been explicitly deemed ineligible for reprinting or functional reprinting under any circumstances. As a result, many cards from the Reserved List command astronomical price tags.

Recognize any of these fine cards? These cards are iconic and have zero functional or superior reprints available. If you want to play 100% competitive Legacy, you will most likely need some cards from the Reserved List.

Due to the vastness of the format, many lower-end cards also happen to be on the Reserved List. Should any deck featuring cards like these make breakout performances, you should expect them to skyrocket in price.

I am not here to discuss the pros and cons of the Reserved List, as there are many of each, but just know that you should make assumptions based on what you know and what you can predict. I don’t predict anything happening to the list in the foreseeable future.

One of the beautiful things about Legacy is that no matter what play style you prefer you can always find a viable deck to construct and bring to events. There isn’t really a time where control, combo, prison, and tempo decks don’t significantly contribute to the metagame, so it is reassuring to know your investment is safe. Additionally, reprints of Legacy staples in Commander products, Eternal Masters, and Modern Masters all help lower the entry price of the format. This leads to more players, which should always be the goal when fostering Magic formats.

To me, the Pro Tour highlighting Legacy as a format, that will count and contribute to real results and stakes, marks a brand new medium for the format to reach more players. Since the debut of the Vintage Super League several years ago, Magic Online Vintage and paper events have grown in size. Exposure is key to a format’s health, and players want to know their decks and efforts matter.

When professional players are put to the test, like they are at the Pro Tour, the best lists come out. As someone who plays a lot of Legacy, what do I expect to be the result of hundreds of professionals testing and fine tuning the format? Diversity.

For years, the top performing decks in Legacy have been blue. Having access to Brainstorm, Ponder, and Force of Will will naturally make players gravitate toward the color. There’s nothing wrong with a little imbalance. At different times in Magic’s history and in different formats, different colors reign supreme. For Standard in recent years, I would put blue closer to the bottom half of the color pie, as I would for Modern. Legacy is blue’s playground and you should keep that in mind if you look up the prices of original ABU dual lands.

Despite a heavy emphasis on blue decks, nonblue decks also thrive in Legacy. At times, top nonblue strategies have included Colorless Eldrazi, Death and Taxes, Lands, R/B Reanimator, Painter, and Elves. Any of these decks can easily take down a big tournament and all of them have in the past!

Investing in Legacy, Investing in Magic

I wanted to write this article not simply to sing the accolades of Legacy as a format, but also to assist players who are thinking about giving it a shot and may feel overwhelmed. When someone looks at a recent, top-performing Legacy deck list, there is a feeling of dread when they gaze over at the price tag. A $1,000+ mana base isn’t in most players’ budgets, and that is going to be the majority of cases. What you have to understand is that Legacy is an investment.

Richard Garfield could have never predicted how crazy the prices would get for some of his creations, but even when he invested in the game, he knew that not everyone would have access to every card. Legacy isn’t a format for everyone, just like Standard isn’t a format for everyone. Some players choose not to dive into Legacy because of its price point, just like some players choose not to dabble into Standard because of its sometimes stale gameplay or the necessity of continued buy-ins. It’s a matter of perspective, not necessarily a case of one being better than the other. Legacy has a larger up-front cost. Standard has a much lower price tag, but in return, you aren’t acquiring cards that can be used for long-term financial value. Over time, buying into multiple top-tier Standard formats will cost you as much as buying a single top-tier Legacy deck. Choosing one or both is determined not by which is better but by your values and priorities as a Magic player.

If you do decide that Legacy may be for you, you must understand it is a journey that takes time. Most people can’t just go online and click “Buy it Now” for a complete 75-card competitive Legacy deck. I couldn’t do that myself either. It is a labor of love, not a race to the finish line.

Understanding the Reserve List

“Yeah, yeah, Baetog we got it. The Reserve List… cards that can’t be reprinted… yadda yadda…”

The concept of these cards, mainly the tournament staples on this list, is crucial to investing. Even if you wouldn’t consider yourself an “investor,” that is what you are doing when you buy into a Legacy deck (when you don’t have the intention of immediately selling).

Like the card pictured here, many players don’t understand investing and fear it, just like they fear reading the text box on this card and may never even realize this card helps you invest. And… it’s on the Reserved List… spoooooky.

The Reserved List is complicated and the economic concepts of it can be confusing and unfamiliar. It doesn’t follow the usual trends of other products you can read about in textbooks and has few real-life comparisons. It’s a case study in itself.

If you are familiar at all with Magic finance you know that Reserved List cards are extra susceptible to sudden/severe price spikes. There are actually a large number of dual lands on the market (contrary to popular belief), so a slight increase in the format’s popularity normally wouldn’t affect prices much. But there is always the occasional panic. When people think they will “miss the boat” on something.

In this case, I don’t think there will be panic, but I do believe there will be both interest in and exposure for the format. You are combining excellent game play, a variety of top-tier decks, “investability”, and now a stage. With Legacy coming to at least one Pro Tour, I think this is the beginning of a new era for both popularity and prices of the format.

I have compiled a small list of cards that I believe are necessary to acquire for aspiring Legacy players. I’ll assume that you have done your homework and figured out which decks and style you enjoy playing, as I always advocate “measure twice, cut once.” Don’t go buying decks only to grow bored of them shortly after. I will advocate cards that I believe have a solid chance of performing well at the Pro Tour, not just ones that may be cheap buys or good investment opportunities. Here are some cards you may want to keep your eyes on over the next year.

And their baby brother:

Original blue dual lands should be in a category of their own. If you want to play a tier 1 Legacy deck, chances are you are going to need some number of blue duals. In other formats, perhaps you curse at fetchlands because they are the most expensive part of your mana base. In Legacy, you should thank those lovely fetch lands because they reduce the number of dual lands you need to complete a deck. Formats without fetchlands, like 93/94 Magic, need to rely on full playsets of dual lands to do their best at fixing their colors.

Brainstorm, Ponder, Force of Will, and to a lesser extent, Delver of Secrets, Show and Tell, and Jace, the Mind Sculptor are all format staples. Many decks wouldn’t exist without these cards, and they are often the most powerful things you can be doing for their mana costs. Save up and invest in your blue duals wisely. It may take a while, but if Legacy is of interest to you, I cannot stress enough how important acquiring these are for your deck. Priority number 1.

The good news is that once you buy these, you’re set. They retain value well, so if the need ever arises, these are easy to move. It’s kind of like having your cake and eating it too.

Another Reserved List goodie, City of Traitors is a powerful land with a small drawback compared to the power it provides you. Used in Painter, Sneak and Show, Omnishow, Eldrazi, and MUD decks, picking this land up should happen sooner than later if one of these strategies tickles your fancy.

Another Reserv… well, you see where I’m going with this. Gaea’s Cradle is the most powerful card in the Elves deck. Despite only playing 2 Bayous, you aren’t quite in the clear when it comes to the Elves mana base. Cradle commands an enormous price tag, partly due to EDH, but all thanks to the Reserved List. Pick these up if little green creatures as your weapon of choice.

Storm has huge potential in Legacy, and I only see it getting better in the future. It will always be metagame dependent but I predict the Pro Tour metagame will be wide open. Some players may bring Storm to the table, expecting inexperienced or unprepared opponents to sit across the table. This deck is perfect for punishing such players. Lion’s Eye Diamond is the only Reserved List card in the deck besides a few dual lands, and after those pickups, the deck is actually quite cheap.

Despite this trolly little Merfolk’s recent price spike, I think this card’s ceiling is higher. Unless there is a reprint on the near horizon, this will easily be a $50+ card with its current availability.

This ubiquitous little 1-drop “planeswalker” had his fall from grace when he was sent on a path to exile from Modern. Well if you couldn’t get enough of him, fear not, he is here and ready to play in Legacy. For the price of 2 Chipotle burritos or 1 lipstick, I would make sure to have him in your play set. Own 4 copies of this card, basically.

Chances are good that you may play a Wasteland deck in Legacy. Wastelands are cheaper now than they’ve been out for almost a decade, so it couldn’t hurt to scrounge a few up. Don’t worry if they are played—they are known to get scrappy with the opponent’s board. Being the most played non-dual, non-fetchland in the format, you can’t go wrong with Wasteland.

Cards that you may need but are quite pricey at this time include Flusterstorm, Rishadan Port, and Force of Will. While your deck may not function without these cards, if there is any supplemental Legacy-related product released by Wizards between now and the 25th Anniversary Pro Tour (Iconic Masters, maybe?) there is a decent probability that these could be reprinted in them. In that instance, these prices would settle more to where they should be.

I hope you enjoyed this glimpse into the nature of Legacy. Don’t ponder too hard whether it’s a great way to spice up the Pro Tour or not—I am sure it Maze prove Ith-self to you. I am genuinely excited for what’s next for one of my favorite formats ever and I hope this is just the beginning of great things to come. What are your thoughts on the 25th Anniversary Pro Tour? Do you play Legacy, and if so, how do you feel about it coming to the big stage? Should I write some more Legacy content? Let me know in the comments, thanks for reading, and until next time, may you always remember your Chalice triggers!